It also seems to be in distress. It has made two seemingly deliberate attempts to beach itself.

It was a valiant attempt, and they did their best.

A whale in the shallow water of the River Thames is like a human lost in the heat of the Sahara desert.

I am very concerned for the safety of this animal at the moment, particularly if boat traffic increases in the river.

The guys out there are the best there we've got. But they have to make the hardest decision in the world now: Whether it's safe to move it or take the most humane option, which is euthanasia.

It just seems like everything is in turmoil. When you go down to the beach and see everything else. We wanted to come and kind of take the kids' minds off of it.